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The Ultimate Denver I Love Fall Fun Guide

Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns - Denver I Love

13 FUN THINGS TO DO IN DENVER THIS FALL!

Fall fun in Denver is extensive and exhilarating!  The Mile High City is bursting with pumpkins, fall festivals, changing leaves, spooky experiences, staycations and outstanding arts and cultural performances.  Here is a curated guide to 13 experiences we love most in Denver for Fall.

As a reminder we only share first hand experiences that we have fully checked out and love dearly.  Denver I Love’s pumpkin patch research spans several years – you simply can’t make it to all the festivities in one month!

1. Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns at Hudson Gardens

Magic of the Jack O'Lanterns at Hudson Gardens - Denver I Love
Magic of the Jack O’Lanterns at Hudson Gardens, Photo by: Jenn Dechtman

Now through October 31st
6115 S Santa Fe Drive, Littleton, CO 80120

Hudson Gardens’ Magic of the Jack-o-Lanterns is back for its third year! This outstanding fall event is put on by the Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group. The gardens are filled with 7,000 hand carved pumpkins and larger than life pumpkin displays. Pumpkins transform to dinosaurs, skeletons and favorite characters from Harry Potter, Disney and Dr. Suess. The world’s most famous paintings are portrayed in pumpkins: Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait, Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Johannes Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring and pumpkin replicas of modern pieces by Bansky and Keith Haring.  Visitors can also enjoy food trucks, a photo booth and hot chocolate.

These pictures only touch the surface of the thousands of intricately carved pumpkins ranging from sports heroes, to animals, sea creatures, insects, movie characters, fantasy figures, whimsical creations, glittery snowflake pumpkins, and flowers…lots of flower pumpkins!

Tickets  prices range depending on date and time, and availability is getting scarce. Reserve your spot here.

2. 13th Floor Haunted House + Axe Throwing

Thirteenth Floor Denver - Denver I Love
Thirteenth Floor Denver, Photo by: Jenn Dechtman at Denver I Love

Now through November 12th 2022
3400 E 52nd Avenue, Denver, CO 80216

Denver thrill seekers have come to love the 13th Floor Haunted House!  It’s a rite of passage for Denver teens!  We seriously had such a blast last year doing everything they had to offer: screaming our heads off in the haunted house, trying axe throwing for the first time, figuring the way out of the escape room and relaxing in the speakeasy lounge.

The best part was being scared to death by the actors outside the haunted house that snuck up on us with chain saws and broomsticks.  The 13th Floor ticket holders have the option to add on the Sensory Overload Intense Haunted House Experience – yes we did this too! This add on experience is a highly physical experience inside a maze of total darkness. Relying solely on our sense of sound, smell, and touch, we climbed over, went under and crawled our way to the exit.  There are a few surprises in there we will leave for you to discover on your own.

3. Fall Fun in Denver at McGregor Scare

McGregor Scare - Denver I Love
McGregor Scare at McGregor Square, Photo by Jenn Dechtman at Denver I Love

October 28th and 29th
1901 Wazee Street, Denver, CO 80202

McGregor Square, next to Denver’s Coors Field, is celebrating Halloween weekend with its second annual fall event McGregor SCARE. Both Friday and Saturday night have creative fall fun in Denver activities. The Graveyard Groove Silent Disco on Friday night October 28th is an ticketed event for adults, while the Saturday Night Trick or Treat Street and movie is a free event for the whole family.

Friday Night at McGregor Scare – Tickets Needed
Prepare to scare at the 2nd annual McGregor Scare Silent Disco! They say this year’s disco will be even bigger and scarier than before with jack-o-lantern bucket cocktails, boomerang booth and more. Last year, tickets to the Silent Disco sold out fast. So, be sure to get your tickets early.  Early bird tickets are now on sale for $10 off. TICKETS available through Eventbrite and include: a silent disco headset, bite at 7 Milepost Zero Food Stalls and a creepy welcome cocktail.   Dress in costume and possibly win a night stay at The Rally Hotel!

Saturday Night at McGregor Scare – Free Event, Tickets Not Needed
On Saturday night October 29th, wear your costume for fun with the entire family at McGregor Scare’s Trick or Treat Street. Enjoy free live music, a hunt for candy and an outdoor movie showing – Hocus Pocus. When you arrive, you’ll receive a candy bag and map that shows activities and candy stations all throughout McGregor Square. From 5-7 PM.  Face painting, caricature drawings, and other family friendly activities will be on site. The movie starts at 7 PM.

There are tons of delicious places to eat dinner in McGregor Square. We love the casual food hall Milepost Zero! We recently ate at Chef Jesus Silva’s Toro Poke + Noodle House and loved everything on the menu!

4. Wild Fall at the Denver Zoo

Denver Fall Fun at The Denver Zoo
Photo by Jenn Dechtman

2300 Steele St, Denver, CO 80205
Now through October 31st.

When it comes to fall fun in Denver, the Denver Zoo is always the leader of the pack.  “Boo at the Zoo” was reimagined last year with mindfulness for a Covid safe experience as well as a more educational opportunity for visitors. The family-focused daytime “falloween” celebration, Wild Fall at the Denver Zoo pulls your imagination to mythical beasts crawling the zoo grounds. The fun features costumes and characters, creature-carved pumpkins, festive food + drink, and special animal demonstrations that connect these supernatural beings to the real-life natural world. What Wild Fall does not offer is trick or treating or candy. That doesn’t mean the little ones should not dress up. There are great photo ops throughout.

Trick-or-Treat-Trail is a separate Denver Zoo experience that does require a paid ticket. It runs in the evenings, October 4, 21, 28th – 31st. However, tickets are very scarce and could be sold out by the time you read this.

Zoo admission for Wild Fall is $20 for adults and $14 for children. Paid members are free to experience Wild Fall.

5. The Chatfield Farms Pumpkin Festival and Corn Maze

Fall Fun in Denver Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms
A young Barry Dechtman explores the Chatfield Farms Corn Maze, photo by Jenn Dechtman

Friday through Sunday, October 7th to 9th, 9 am to 4 pm.
Chatfield Farms: 8500 W. Deer Creek Canyon Road, Littleton, CO 80128

A treasured fall fun in Denver tradition is the Pumpkin Festival  at the Denver Botanic Gardens’ Chatfield location.  The Pumpkin Festival takes place THIS WEEKEND! Tickets are still available. The festival features local craft and artisan booths, food trucks. beer and hard cider vendors an antique tractor exhibit, hayrides. photo booths carnival games, inflatable bouncers and slide balloon charcters, face painting and more! There is an additional cost for the stunt jump and a few of the inflatables and games. Tickets to the festival also include the pumpkin patch and corn maze!

After the festival the Corn Maze at Chatfield Farms will stay open through October 30th.  The hours are Fridays – Sundays, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Chatfield’s Corn Maze has seven acres of corn to wind through including a 15 foot tall bridge to look out over the  maze. Visitors under the age of 10 can explore the corn mini-maze.  Barrel train rides are included with a child’s ticket to the mini maze.

Tickets for both the Pumpkin Festival and the Corn Maze are $15 for adults 16 and older and $13 for children ages 3 -15. Members can buy discounted tickets for a few dollars less a person. Children 2 and under are free. Tickets for the Pumpkin Festival  includes access to the 10-acre pumpkin patch and family and children’s activities. Pumpkin prices vary by size; the average price is $8. It is recommended to bring a wagon to transport pumpkins.

6. Glow in the Gardens, Denver Botanic Gardens

Denver Fall Fun at The Denver Botanic Gardens
Photo by Jenn Dechtman

October 18 – 23, 2022
York Street: 1007 York Street, Denver, CO 80206

Denver Botanic Gardens also hosts the “Glow in the Gardens” at its York Street location. The event runs from October 18th to 23rd in the evenings. All spots will sell out, so buy your tickets early.  Adult tickets are $25 and children $21. Members receive a small discount.  A fun fact about the Denver Botanic Gardens is they serve really good food! The menu for Glow in the Gardens (all available for purchase at the Gardens) includes Butternut Squash Soup, Tomato Bisque, soft pretzels, flatbreads, macaroni and cheese, grilled cheese and a variety of wraps and salads.

The Gardens will be fully decked out in spooky, illuminated landscapes using all real pumpkins harvested from local farms. The DBG pumpkin artists push the boundaries of traditional pumpkin carving to create larger-than-life sculptures and dense displays of jack-o’-lanterns that are a fun site to see!  There will also be live performances and other special surprises.

Tickets for all this fall fun in Denver can be purchased on the Denver Botanic Gardens website.

7. Gaylord of the Rockies Goblins & Giggles 

Spookley the Square Pumpkin, Photo by Jenn Dechtman

Now until October 31st
6700 North Gaylord Rockies Boulevard, Aurora, Colorado 80019

We can always count on The Gaylord of the Rockies for fall fun in Denver!  We are just over the moon for this grand resort and the energy and creativity it brings to the front range.  While the lazy river and relaxing cabanas are winding down with temperatures turning cooler, the indoor water slides are open year round.  Fall at the Gaylord of the Rockies features a plethora of seasonal activities that make a staycation a special treat!

Fall fun activities at the Gaylord include: a scavenger hunt with Spookley the Square Pumpkin, a meet and greet with Spookley, fun fall crafts in the Goblins & Giggles Art Studio, a haunted ghost tour, spooky bedtime stories and trick or treating in the grand lobby of the resort. 

A visit to the Gaylord is great fun for all ages!  During October the carved pumpkins and Halloween decorations throughout the resort are spooktacular! For adults there is live music, creepy cocktails and a world class spa!

Photo by Jenn Dechtman

I will say I especially enjoyed sneaking away for some me time at The Relâche Spa! I had one of the best massages I’ve ever had there! Did you know the Gaylord is a Marriott Bonvoy hotel? Its awesome because you can get Marriott points for your stay. You can make reservations at Gaylord of the Rockies.

8. Anderson Farms Fall Festival 

Fall fun in Denver Anderson Farms
Looking back on many years of fall fun at Anderson Farms, a treasured Colorado Fall tradition, photo by Jenn Dechtman

Now through October 31st; Monday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Thursdays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Fridays 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Sundays 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and CLOSED on Tuesdays.
6728 County Road 3 1/4, Erie, CO 80516

For one of the largest and most comprehensive fall festival in the Denver area, make your way just northwest of Denver to Anderson Farms.  From bumpy wagon rides to a massive pumpkin patch, Anderson Farms is unique in its sprawling playground of fun activities one after another.  There is a really large corn maze; bouncers, slides, pedal karts, farm animals, a barrel train, sand diggers, gem panning, pony rides, face painting, pumpkin painting, pumpkin launches and more!  With so much space at Anderson Farms to wonder and explore, this pumpkin patch is one of my absolute favorites.

There are two great after dark experiences at Andersons Farm: Terror in the Corn and the Zombie Paintball Hunt. Admission to the daytime Fall Festival is included with any ticket purchase for these two after dark activities.

Cost: Fall Festival Monday-Thursday $15; Friday-Sun $23; Kids 3 and under have free admission to the Fall Festival; Terror in the Corn Thursday or Sunday $30; Terror in the Corn Friday or Saturday night $33;  Terror in the Corn Quick Pass Thursday or Sunday $45; Terror in the Corn Quick Pass Friday or Saturday: $48; Zombie Paintball Hunt Thursday or Sunday $25; Zombie Paintball Friday and Saturday 27; Zombie Paintball Quick Pass Thursday or Sunday $40; Zombie Paintball Quick Pass Friday or Saturday $42.  Additional charge for pumpkins and food.

9. Miller Farm’s Annual Fall Harvest Festival

Fall Fun in Denver at Miller Farms
Photo by Jenn Dechtman

Now through mid November, 9 to 6 pm daily
13912 CR 19, Platteville, CO 80651

Miller Farms is definitely up there as one of Colorado’s top Fall Harvest Festivals.  At Miller Farms you can experience farm life up close and personal by picking your own vegetables and hanging out with the animals.  A fun hayride leads you through 180 acres of fields filled not just with pumpkins, but potatoes, carrots, beets, onions, squash and more.  At Miller Farms the corn maze is FREE!

The creative antique alley features farm equipment and one of a kind oddities.  If you love the Pixar movies, Cars, you’ll be able to get to have a great photo op with Mater and Lightning McQueen.

One of the best things about a trip to Miller Farms is picking your own vegetables right out of the ground. The Miller Farms fall festival gives everyone the opportunity to not only explore the farm, but to also harvest their own vegetables, put their hands in the dirt and bring home onions, potatoes, peppers, squash and other fall veggies straight from the earth! During the fall harvest, everyone takes a tractor hayride to the fields. All of the activities and harvesting are included in the cost of admission.

The 2022 pricing is $25 a person (up to 4 bags per person of produce), children $15 (up to 4 bags of produce per child). There is also a wagon special, where you can load a wagon full of pumpkins, gourds and winter squash plus whatever other goodies they have that day for only $40.00.

 

10. Rock Creek Farm U-Pick-em Pumpkins & Corn Maze

Fall fun in Denver at Rock Creek Farm
Pumpkin patch with a view of the Flatirons! Photo by Jenn Dechtman

Now through October 31st. Open every day from 9 a.m. until 6:00 pm.
Corn Maze hours Sunday through Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

2005 South 112th Street, Broomfield, CO 80020

Rock Creek Farm is one of the largest pumpkin patches within a short drive from Denver.  Just south of Boulder in Broomfield, Rock Creek Farm is full of fall delights. Over 100 acres of pumpkin fields sprawl through the Farm with a road on which you can drive through at your own leisure.

Rock Creek also has lots of animals to meet: pigs, goats, cows, sheep and chickens. The kids areas have bouncers, slides, tractors and more.  At the center of the fun is a hay bale maze and over 6 miles of corn mazes. If you are looking to take some amazing pictures, Rock Creek Farm has a spectacular view from its pumpkin patch!

The price for the farm admission is $6 a person. Children 3 and under are free. There is an additional cost for the corn maze: $7 for ages 4 to 11 and $10 for people 12 and up. U-Pick field pumpkins are $7 each.

11. Nick’s Fall Festival and Pumpkin Patch

Fall Fun in Denver at Nick's Garden Center
Fall fun in Denver at Nick’s Garden Center, photo by Jenn Dechtman

Everyday through October 31st. Monday- Saturday 8 am – 6pm
Sunday 9 am to 5 pm.2001 S Chambers Rd, Aurora, CO 80014

If you don’t have time to drive out to the farm, stop by Nicks Garden Center in Aurora for a great selection of gourds and pumpkins.  There is no entrance fee and tons of free activities: a straw maze, story time with Professor Pumpkin, train and tractor rides and a fun play area with games.  Be sure to buy a big bag of Nick’s fresh popped Kettle Corn – it is absolutely delicious!

Some activities do require tokens: train and tractor rides for $4 a person; an inflatable obstacle course $4; and Nicks Duck Race cost $2 per duck.  You can also purchase a wristband for $14 that gives you one ride on the train, tractor, pedal karts and inflatable obstacle course.  You won’t get the pumpkin picking experience straight off the vine, but you will have lots and lots of pumpkins to choose from.

12. Colorado Symphony’s Halloween Concerts

Photo by Jenn Dechtman

October 21, 22, 28, 29 and 30th, 2022
Boettcher Concert Hall at Denver Performing Arts Complex
1000 14th St, Denver, CO 80202

The Colorado Symphony puts on a yearly tried and true family-friendly Halloween concert, the Halloween Spooktacular. This year’s Halloween Spooktacular takes place on Sunday afternoon, October 30th at 2:30 pm and will feature music from favorite spooky films and t.v. shows conducted by Ryan Tani. Costumes are encouraged and even the musicians get dressed up for the festivities! The Half Notes CO Symphony programming includes a family-friendly activity and craft before the concert.

In addition to the Halloween Spooktacular, CSO is hosting a Disney Hocus Pocus Concert, Jacob Joyce, conductor, on the evenings of October 21 and 22, 2022. Our Colorado Symphony will be perform every note from the original full film score Hocus Pocus, while the movie is simultaneously projected on screens in Boettcher Concert Hall.

The following weekend in the same style, CSO will host another Disney In Concert program on Friday October 28th and Saturday October 29th: Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Before Christmas Concert. Christopher Dragon will conduct the Nightmare Before Christmas concert.

Tickets for all the fun family October concerts through the Colorado Symphony website or in person at the Boettcher Concert Hall Box Office.

13. Halloween Kids Fest at Denver’s Downtown Aquarium

Photo by Jenn Dechtman

Friday October 28th to Monday October 31st, 10 to 4 PM
700 Water Street, Denver, CO 80211

For years, Denver’s Downtown Aquarium has been putting on a super fun Halloween kids fest outside in front of the Aquarium on the banks of the Platte River.  There are tons of outdoor activities. Kids can take a train rides, paint a pumpkin, do fun science experiments and walk through a maze. The festivities are all free, not including the Aquarium tickets which can be purchased on the Denver Aquarium website or at the front entrance. in costumes can go into the Aquarium for 1/2 price with an adult purchase.

Wishing you a Happy Halloween and many Fall fun in Denver adventures! For more Halloween ideas and Denver October adventures follow on Instagram @denverilove.

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